Croc

The X Bow is 1700lbs dry before driver and fuel. My CSR is 1270lbs dry. 100hp is not a lot to deal with the extra weight penalty. Also aero does slow top speed slightly. The 485 is probably hp per ton if it is following the past R500 nomenclature?

Hi Paul - Have you also posted in the Birkin Yahoo forum? Quite a few owners there who do not come on here.

Give George Alderman at Midatlantic Caterham a call. He can supply skid plates for Caterhams. Refer link below: http://www.midatlanticcaterham.com/parts_se.htm The link page above has a further link to a photo. While the Caterham UK parts catalog shows a CSR sump guard, when it was ordered for my CSR we discovered it does not actually fit the car. Anyway, it was only a piece of steel tube that in theory would take the brunt of any impact but in reality was never going to be that effective. To avoid any sump issues I had my ride height set at the high end of the road setting. Still handles great and I have never had an impact. There have been some fairly big road hazards on I-78, I-95 and in Manhattan that I have been lucky in being able to dodge/clear. You could also give George Alderman a call (refer link above) and ask him to supply one. It would not reduce existing ground clearance in any meaningful way.

The circuit map on page one of this thread had elevation points at various spots on the circuit.

I have used American Collectors on my seven previously a few years back. They were good but never really had much dealings with them beyond the policy set up. They are a good alternative to Hagerty/Grundy in NJ. They have to insure classic cars in NJ as they are based in Cherry Hill, NJ!

People forget that auto and home insurance is not federally regulated unlike banking. So each state is different for insurance regulations and operations. Insurance policies are unique by state for that reason. NJ is not an insurer friendly state so the availability of products that suit our cars is more restricted than other states where the state governments take a more business friendly approach.

Gorgeous! I am a sucker for classic lines on a car. What engine spec powers it?

Hi Stewart - I use Chubb Insurance for everything except the Caterham. Chubb would insure it but for a premium of $2500 per year and must keep it under 3000 miles annually. This is insurance code for "we do not want the risk." They had no problems with the agreed value insurance on the 1965 mustang. So I use Grundy (MGA for Philly Gen) for the Caterham as Hagerty required a 24 hour security service before they would insure the Caterham. I work in insurance and I think Chubb are very good and I would recommend them highly. They were excellent during my claim last year when the steel pipe took out my Audi (and very nearly me!). If you want to chat with a good Chubb agent close to you - I can send you details offline. I still think your best bet is with a specialist classic car insurer. State Farm, Allstate, and Nationwide will not insure Caterhams or other seven replicas in NJ. I had my old seven with State Farm and they changed their underwriting policy and refused to renew despite me having all my other business with them.

Some people are a little overly sensitive I guess :jester: I was not really thinking of him that much....:rofl:

Not sure what the stock offset is for your specific car. As I recall they changed details like that as specifications changed over the years. You can measure your existing wheels if they are Caterham branded wheels? I generally try to keep the offset static when changing wheels as that way you do not run into troubles with the wheels not fitting on the hub or inadvertently widening the track and creating new problems. Not if you are only going up an inch or two. I have seen people put 10 inch rims with sticky slicks on a Caterham and despite how ridiculous it looks there has been no hub failure. The hubs on our Caterhams were off some large sedan. While I am not sure what car your hubs would have originally come from, my rear hubs for example came from a 2000 year VW Passat - so the design strength of these is for a many thousand pounder car - it will handle your modestly increased loads. Yes quite a few people around me have succumbed to "upgradeitus" on their Caterhams because they have a fat wallet and want enough power and torque to move an aircraft carrier or ride on magnesium wheels and 3 lap sticky slicks. By contrast, I have left my car 'stock' to show how modest I am. I have no problems being (one day) passed by someone with 320hp. As an ex-racer I totally agree with your philosophy of just enjoying the track day experience with a few buddies and the beers at the end of the day are full of laughs as we relive the experience. REfreshing my memory, you have a 1700 crossflow now...so say 95-100hp. You are thinking of going up to around 175hp. Caterham says that 8 inch wheels on a new 125hp Supersport is over-tired. But Blatchat says 8 inches is a good size once you get into higher horsepower. I would make the rears 8x13 now and accept that you will be over-tired and have trouble rotating the car on track until you get your power upgrade. I would also suggest that you think about 7x13 on the front - narrowing up the width gap between front and rear is preferable to my mind given your before/after hp range contemplated. I have only run slicks on pure race cars and not a seven as I don't think you need it with a seven which rewards an element of slide in how it handles a track, so I defer to someone else here.

Website says 25 per group max. Thats not too bad given the sevens group will actually make a good chunk of the group actually being able to carve a corner nicely instead of a luxe-barge wobbling its way around. I am really looking forward to seeing a swarm of buzzing sevens divebombing some poor helpless Corvette/BMW/Porsche/etc.

13 inch wheels are better for the seven generally - less unsprung weight, handling, etc. plus I was not happy being stuck with Avon CR500s given the Avon supply chain problems and financial issues. Originally I had fronts 7x15 shod with 195/45 and rears of 9x15 shod with CR500 5/40. I am going to 7x13 with ZZR 185/55 and 9x13 with ZZR 215/55. Avon UK has ok'ed the 215/55 going on the 9x13 rims and they have a good track record on CSRs in UK and Europe. Apparently the ZZRs will be ok up to 9.5inch wide rims. This ZZR solution does drop the diameter by 0.9 inch on the front and 0.4 inch on the rear. The rear rolling circumference is a reduction of 1.3 inches. Modelling shows I lose 3-4mph from Vmax so 138mph down to 134mph. Given my GPS logged fastest on any track has been 131 mph I dont think I will be too concerned about this. It has to be a really long straight to cause me Vmax problems - maybe VIR as it wont be at NJMP. Critically the new race hub solution does open up the way for slicks to be mounted on the CSR in the future. Worst case I have to change the final drive ratio from 3.62 to the standard UK CSR ratio of 3.45 or regular Caterham of 3.38. I will worry about that once my new getrag gets delivered. :leaving: I am keeping the 15 inch wheels and Avon CR500s as a road wheel/tire combo but Avon can also give me a 175/55/R13 or a 205/55/R13 or 245/50/R13 which do not change diamater or circumference for road purposes. Kumho and Yokohama also become brands that will be open to me. I will probably not get this all done in time for our June sevens event but thats ok as I have a few other "upgrades" that take priority.

Excellent news (and excellent driving by you!) - I just bought some Avon ZZRs and 13 inch rims for my car!

Wow That is a seriously well thought out car with immaculate workmanship. How long did it take you to get to this point? I will be very interested to see how you find it on your first track day? It is almost too nice to put out on track it is so beautifully done....almost

I would not have worried about a passenger seat - she could have sat on my lap and I would happily let her change my gears all day! :rofl: Yes the Porsche PSM system - stands for "Please Save Me" when the going gets too tuff for the various yuppies and pretenders. Well, I am showing how keen I am - booked Spa again for July 15 and 16 in the same car. Who else is up for a bit of driving on a classic circuit!

Something you have never owned? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1992-Volvo-240-Base-Sedan-4-Door-2-3L-/171021486743?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item27d1acca97 Plenty of room for a 6'5" gentleman, faster than Tom in a straightline, I am sure you could throw this car around a corner better than throwing Karl, and go flying through a hedge more elegantly (and safely) than than Boxologist in a Miata. :cooldude: Or if that does not suit, there is always this lovely fantastic plastic Beetle: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Porsche-Speedster-ONLY-15-MILES-/181120611482?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item2a2ba1349a Think how much you save by going for something like this? Now you could be slightly more ostentatious or flamboyant in your style. Liberace would have loved something like this and I think you would too: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Spark-SPCNS-/171018597912?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item27d180b618 Now I know you are getting on in years so I instantly thought Zimmer to help your walking: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Zimmer-Golden-Spirit-IV-2-Door-Coupe-Classic-Vintage-Styling-/330905023698?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item4d0b79f4d2 I do love how the ad says "when they see you in this car don't be surprised if they follow you home for a closer look" Could bring some new opportunities if you are into 80 year old guys? Plenty of opportunity to bring out your polisher - that eagle radiator cap looks a little tarnished. You could even varnish the wood (focus Steve! I am talking about the dashboard!). Now going in the other direction - this looks a bargain: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1990-OSHKOSH-T-1500-AIRPORT-ARFF-FIRE-TRUCK-FOAM-TANKER-EMERGENCY-RESPONCE-/390570176507?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item5aefcbeffb 540hp! 8 speed gearbox! Just think what you could do with $5000 of free fire retardent? Fantastic for Betsy helping you wash the Beemer in the driveway on nice Sundays! On a similar note, this little beauty could solve the traffic congestion in your area and I bet you would have no problems parking at the local supermarket anymore let alone carrying your groceries home: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/British-Centurion-Main-Battle-Tank-Armor-Tracked-Military-Vehicle-/271186784158?pt=Military_Vehicles&hash=item3f23fdef9e Its British. It still has Lucas electronics. A ton of horsepower. Really sticks to the road type of road holding. Just waiting for you to "add lightness" [to your wallet from the gas bills!] Need any more ideas from me? :jester:

Ooooooohhh! If The Stig attends then it will be dueling polishers! I believe Martin's car is just as shiny as yours, Steve! What you dont achieve in straight line speed you will achieve in blinding the faster cars as they get reflections from both of you diving from out of the sun! :willy_nilly:

Nice driving! I have to admit it makes a change seeing a point by like that. Every time I try to pass Yellowss7 or Blubarisax on track I just get the middle finger raised! :rofl:

Clean sheet challenge eh? Hmmm I am going to ignore the engine for others as that is somewhat "easy" compared to the rest of the package: - wheels and tires - that seems to be coming together in the other thread. Just keep an eye on how much diameter you are reducing the overall diameter so you can fix it through the gears/diff ratios. - Have you got yourself a good comfortable driving seat that locates you well? Maybe a bead resin seat kit paired with some good 6 point harnesses if you do not have them already? While on safety do you need to upgrade your roll bar from the standard chicken wire version to the FIA/Track day bar which protects you? - Gearbox - go for a T-9 from BGH or one of the other UK engineering outfits that give it a correct first gear and allow you to choose your other gear ratios to match the engine. This should still end up a fair bit cheaper than a Caterham 6 speed box which is nice for the car but really expensive. Ratios will need to be chosen relative to the power band and rev limit of the chosen engine. Gearcalc spreadsheet is your friend here. - Brakes - change the pads for a harder compound better suited to the track but I would not worry about upgrading to big brakes or anything - don't think you will need it since it is all about momentum in our cars. However, if you can justify it I admit I love my Caterham big brake kit on the fronts - I just can stand on them at braking marker one and murder everyone in the braking zone at my local track - Diff - Don't know what final ratio you have, whether it is regular or LSD, etc? Given Laguna is more of a power circuit with some terrain change then maybe think about a diff ratio change at the least to fix the top end speed problem caused by going to 13 inch rims or adding an LSD if you feel you can justify the money. Decision needs to made in conjunction with the final engine choice once you know its power band/rev limit. This is an input into the gearcalc spreadsheet which is linked on this forum somewhere. - how tired are your shocks? If they are then maybe an upgrade to something fresh. Pair this with a good 4 wheel alignment using your new wheels and tires. Not sure you need much more to make the car an effective weapon on track but the driver might want some coaching :jester:.

Hi Bruce - Was talking with Wil last weekend at his very successful open house. He was talking about a drive with you when you are back. I mentioned what you are organizing a sevens run and suggested he come along with us in his new Porsche Cayman (or is it Cayenne? Never can remember which is which!). Also talked with Dave from Ragtops and Roadsters and emailed him the details. He has 2 suitable demonstrators to choose from in bringing along a suitable car. Cheers mike

The R300 I 'borrow' for track use in UK/Europe has 13 inch rims with CR500. I prefer the 13 inch rims over the 15 inchers that I run with CR500s on track with my CSR. I find the 13 inch wheels are more communicative and progressive on breakaway and prefer them. I have not tested other brands back to back like Kitcat though. Their smaller diameter does restrict top speed 135mph down to about 125mph - so that is an issue on long straights which may be a factor for you? The CR500 is a nicely light tire - lighter than the Toyo. They are frustrating to source at times though and can be expensive. Roger Krause in CA is always a good source along with Sasco Sports in VA. Another idea - have you looked at ACB10s? Bias ply so you will need to tweak your suspension set up but similar compound to CR500 with a better tread pattern and usable for road although I would not want to drive in the wet. More consistent grip over the life of the tire than a slick. Easier to source than CR500s as the Miata racing fraternity use them on the east coast a lot.

Congratulations Bill! Welcome to the world of upgraditis! Your timing is excellent - summer will eventually be here. :cooldude:

Thanks Terry. Cadwell Park is definitely on my list as a classic "seven" track but the dates are conflicted for this year anyway. Quite happy to pick other tracks and save it until the dates work. They also have trips to tracks of Italy (Monza/Mugello), Spain and Portugal (Estoril). Two photos I forgot to show - in Eau Rouge starting the steep climb up to the Kemmel Straight. The old touring car pits are in the background. Way up the very top is the back of the Formula 1 pits where we were operating from. The photos look fuzzy as it is snowing. http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/March%202013%20Spa%20Francorchamps/1163135607_FB_zps771c9d90.jpg Exiting Eau Rouge and in the middle of the climb to Kemmel. http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/March%202013%20Spa%20Francorchamps/1298864615_FB_zpse237ba3a.jpg

Sunday So I look out the hotel window next morning and SNOW! About 4 inches overnight. So I delay a little and then get in the car to head to the circuit. At the Ster Tunnel under the track I find a 4 car pile up in the tunnel. Ice on the ramps down and up had led to a nice old mess. So I figure on taking the old former circuit road around to the Blanchimont tunnel. It should take 10 minutes – 1 hour later I turn off the main road onto the access road. It was carnage – one van with race car on trailer in a ditch, BMW 3 series into a snow embankment, 3 Porsche 911’s bogged to the belly pan spinning their nice wide slick wheels futilely in the snow, a Lotus Elise scrabbling for grip and then an Aston Martin convertible deciding discretion was the better part of valor by not driving down into the tunnel – the only wise man. Inside the circuit it was nicely icy. So icy that I could not drive up the ramps to the pits where my gear was so after a few stupid attempts I stop at the base and walk up. This is what the track looked like: Definitely no driving and I was given back my money for the day – although I am rebooking for later in the year. I am hooked. I have tasted enough of the Spa circuit to know why it is one of the great tracks of the world and know I want another go at it. Just need to find the time to escape work. If I cannot make the Spa dates work in November then I will spend June at possibly Donnington or Anglesey for a weekend. Bookatrack have plenty of R300s for rent. Who wants to come with me?

So it was back out again to keep learning the circuit. The weather was not really any better but it was still a fantastic driving challenge. It was not long before another Caterham found the wall after Blanchimont, rotating the rear and going into the left hand wall sideways at what would have been a fairly high speed. The impact was hard enough to bend the deDion tube and punch the suspension up through the rear wing: One thing to note about the damage, there is a sizable deductible on the rental Caterhams. So if you crash them you pay for the repairs – parts and labor. Encourages a bit of common sense while driving. There were a couple of hot shot pros in Caterham R500s circulating. They were much faster than me but also they all either went off or spun in front of me at least once during the day….somewhat reassuring that they were finding it challenging conditions. Before the day was out the driver of a formerly-nice looking Mercedes CLS63 AMG coupe decided to redecorate every panel just after La Source corner. He was warned for bad driving earlier and the day was the type of day which did not suffer fools or bad driving. I was told a BMW also kissed a wall and was towed off but I did not see it. So with all that here is the short video to give you an idea of what it was like. First part is the snow, second part is the slidey moments and the third part is one full lap to give you a flavor of the place. It looks slow because it was! I screwed up the sound (yet again) so music for parts of the video to cover up blank space (I hope you like Frankie!).